The Water of Aetas
by Firrerreo
Summary: While Majic toils away at the Tower of Fang, Orphen and Cleao set off in search of a legendary relic of the Heavenly Ones. Cleao x Orphen I suck at writing summaries. A much longer Ch 4 is posted now.
1. Chapter 1

**The Water of Aetas**

* * *

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own the characters from SSO. Nor can I spell worth a crap. I checked this to the best of my abilities, and well, I'm sure there are still a few words I used which just plain don't exist. It's listed as rated MA, for even though the language/content is no more than a 'T' at the moment, it shall progress much farther into the realms of the carnal, the gory, and the foul-mouthed by the end. Woot.

* * *

_Hey Majic!_

_How's the Tower of Fang been treating ya lately? Your studies going along alright? Tell Shrimpy if he's not treating you right, that I'll have to drop in and have a word with him. _

_I'm sure you're having a much better time than we are, well, at least than _I _am right now. Mr. Moody-Broody is his same enjoyable self as usual. So here we are, wandering around as we have been for the past couple of months, little old me still no wiser to what in the hell we're doing out in the middle of nowhere. I swear, the guy has no decency...this is not how you're supposed to treat a lady, especially one of fine upbringing, such as myself. We were relaxing, well, I was at least relaxing in this pleasant little hot springs town when he made up pack up all of a sudden and head off for some little nowhere place called Lytra? Never heard of it huh? Yeah, make that two of us. You know really, I think he makes these places up sometimes. Apparently the local sorcerous library guild thing just unearthed some new tomes or whatever, and we of course must leave all behind at once to check it out. If this turns out to be some other stupid wild goose chase for Dragon-Lady, I am going to _SCREAM!

_Argh, I'll probably write you again once we're there. I mean, this is the new lows I've sunken too…..I get more in-depth conversations out of you - hundreds of miles away - than I do out of the damned nit-wit I'm traveling with. I should have stayed in school._

_Hugs and Kisses-_

_Cleao_

_P.S. – Leki says hi too!_

_P.S.S. – Orphen doesn't want to say hi at the moment_

_P.S.S.S. – don't forget to get something nice for Eris for her birthday!!! I mean, Where would you be without Me?!_

_P.S.S.S.S. – Oh wait, now the second rate magician does want to. Too bad, I'm mailing it now. _

_

* * *

_

Another gust of wind caught Cleao's hair, whipping it around her face and into her eyes. Her cloak provided no protection at all from the wind or rain, flying and twisting in random directions, and only served to throw her more off balance. She could feel Leki shaking in her backpack, but there wasn't anything she could do for him at the moment – it was taking all her current concentration to just stay attached to the tree alongside the road.

Cleao tried once more, unsuccessfully, to shake off the wet hairs stuck to her face, but only managed to get more plastered to the side of her cheek. Growling in frustration, she glared at the sorcerer farther up the road.

"Oh yeah, clear skies today, Cleao," she said in a sarcastic, deep voice. "It'll be an easy day today, Cleao. I used my fancy-shmancy never-wrong magic to check the weather, Cleao." Tearing one arm away from the trunk, she gestured angrily at the dark clouded sky. "How the hell does this say 'clear-skies' to you?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Orphen clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. _So help me …. This had better just be some joke, or , or a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare. I'm going to open my eyes and there'll be no storm, no rain, no bratty girl… _

"Do you hear me, Orphen?! Orphen, are you listening?!!" Cleao's eardrum-splitting voice cut through his inner monologue.

Shoulders slumped, he looked up towards his disheveled traveling companion. She had finally stopped screaming and had resorting to simply glaring from underneath her limp bangs, and he had to fight down a sudden urge to laugh at her. _Man, she really does look like crap right now. Majic would have loved to see this._

A sudden peal of thunder shook the air around them, and Cleao clapped her hands to her ears, yelping at the noise.

"That's it, Cleao. I'm tired of this stupid, well, whatever the hell you're up to. We need to keep going to find some sort of shelter. The storm's only getting worse and I frankly don't plan on spending the night in it."

"Keep moving? Keep moving where?" Cleao yelled back at him. She flung out her arms. "Where is there to go? We're out in the middle of bumble nowhere, you've admitted yourself, at least a good two days from any sign of civilization. Where the hell do you expect to find shelter?!"

Orphen closed his eyes and slowly started to count to then. _Heavenly Ones help me, I'm going to kill her,_ and tried reasoning with again."Look, I don't know, but standing out here certainly isn't going to help either!" Orphen drew breath to start another fresh string of arguments, but stopped when he felt the hairs on his arms start to tingle and rise slightly in the wind. _Wha-?...Static…._

His eyes widened, and he started to push his way against the wind towards her. "Cleao. Cleao, get away from the tree right now."

"No. No, I will not." Cleao crossed her arms in front of her and continued to glare.

"Cleao, damnit, I'm not playing around. Get away from the god-damned tree!" Orphen broke out in run towards her, cursing as he slipped in the mud churned road.

_What's gotten into him now?_ Cleao wondered as she watched his new found movement with some curiosity. Leki's terrified yelp was the only warning she had, when the sky split open above her. Cleao screamed and through her arms up in front of her face, trying to protect herself from the searing light and heat. She felt something knock her backwards hard, and then pin her to the ground underneath its massive weight.

_I – I can't breathe! _Cleao struggled but did not manage to move an inch. _That's it then… I'm dead. I finally did it. Finally did one stupid - _Tiny teeth and paws clawed at her back, and Cleao yelped in surprise. _Hey wait…dead people can't feel, right? Right? Hopefully? _Her eyesight began to clear, and Cleao gasped when she could finally make out what was in front of her.

Orphen lay on top of her, his back pushing her body into the sodden ground. She could feel his muscles struggling to hold the thin purple shield suspended above them. The burning tree was no more than ten feet above them, and the intense heat of the fire, being fanned by the wind, was already reaching through the shield towards them

He heard her whimper softly from underneath him, and he strained his will in a renewed push against the falling tree. _I am – NOT – going to be killed in the middle of nowhere because of a stupid tree!_, he yelled at his muscles. Extending both his arms he called out to the struggling form beneath him. "Cleao, close your eyes!"

"Huh, why –" She screamed out grabbed his shoulders as he let the shield drop, watching in horror as the flaming branches tumbled down towards them.

"Damnit Cleao, I said to close your eyes!" Just as she was certain the first branch was going to impale them, a ball of light shot forth from Orphen's hands and careened into the tree, sending it flying backwards through the air and across to the other side of the road. It left a trail of burning embers in its path, which Cleao would have found pretty at any other point, except for when it was almost responsible for killing her.

Orphen lay limp on top of her, his hair falling in her face and breath ragged. She ventured softly, "Orphen….?" and tried to sit up a bit.

Leki took his chance and wiggled out from underneath her, making unhappy yipping noises and looking nothing more like a sopping wet blue rat. "Oh Leki, I'm so sorry! Are you ok, my poor baby!" Leki took one last look at them, sneezed and ran off the road into the bordering woods.

"Leki, wait. No, Leki!" Cleao screamed, and with new found strength, shoved the sorcerer off her and took off after the running blue streak. "Wha –" Orphen started to ask, as he found himself rolled face first into the road. Wiping the mud from his face with the edge of his cloak, he watched Cleao run after the baby Wolfen into the forest.

"Cleao, come back here!", he yelled out, and shakily got to his feet when there was no answer. _That's done it. If I wasn't going to kill her before, I'm certainly going to do it now_, he thought as he stumbled into a run after the two retreating figures.

* * *

Leki pulled up short, and started yipping madly, crouching low against the howling wind and rain. Cleao caught up shortly and scooped him up into her arms, fussing his fur against her face. "Don't you ever do that again, Leki, you hear me?" she murmured into his side. Orphen ran smack into her from behind, almost sending them all sprawling in the mud of the forest floor. Cleao managed to barely hold her feet underneath her, and turned her head to glare, and was rewarded with a sheepish grin. She was about to start lecturing him about looking where he was going, when his eyes traveled up past her. "Look over there," he said. 

Cleao turned back to follow his gaze and squealed with excitement when she made out the fuzzy form in front of them. "Oh my God! It's a house. A House!! Oh, we're saved! Leki, I love you, you're the best boy ever!" Leki yipped in pleasure, as Cleao began to make her way hurriedly to the front door. Orphen trailed after her, shaking his head. "Finally, we can get something decent to eat, get somewhere dry, have some decent company for a change.." Orphen tuned her out as she continued to praise the wonders of the unknown cottage.

Running up to the front entrance Cleao used her free hand to pound on the door. "Hello! Heeeellloooo in there! Open up! Hey, it's wet out here! Hey, …_HEY_!!"

Orphen walked up behind her and gently grabbed her hand, bring it down away from the door. Tilting his head he looked down at her, "Stupid girl, don't you ever look before you do something? Look, there's no light, no smoke, no movement….no one's home. No one's going to be answering that door no matter how hard you pound. ..Or yell."

Cleao's shoulders slumped and her face fell. "Well, what are we supposed to do then?" Leki looked up at her and nuzzled the bottom of her chin.

"What do you mean what do we do? We go in."

"Whaaat?! You, you can't just barge into someone else's house uninvited!"

Orphen looked at her quizzically. "You want to stay out here?"

Cleao paused and stared at the ground. "Noooo……"

"Well, then, it's settled." Orphen nudged her out of the way and bent over the lock, muttering a few words under his breath.

"Hey, what are you doing, let me see..." Cleao began and tried to get a better view over his shoulder.

Orphen straightened up and smiled, albeit a little arrogantly, at her. "After you, madam", he said, bowing low and flicking the door open with one finger.

"Show-off" she muttered, and heard him snort underneath his breath as she passed by him.

Cleao stood in the center of the small living area, her dripping clothes forming a small puddle on the wood floor around her. It was cozy, if a bit small for her tastes. The kitchen and dining area were to the left, and a fireplace and rug to the right. She could just make out in the darkness a door across the far wall, which she assumed led to the bath and bed areas. Orphen grunted and slammed the door back into place, cursing the wind in the process

Slicking the wet hair out of face, Orphen headed towards the fireplace, sparing a glance for Cleao on the way. He shook his head at the bedraggled mess that was his partner. "You're hopeless, you know that?" He expected an explosion, or at least an argument from her, but instead it looked completely defeated and about to cry. _Oh great job_, he thought to himself_. She's almost killed, sopping wet, and what do I do, I make her cry._

The fireplace appeared to have been well used, but there weren't any traces of logs or tinder he could use to start a fire going. He crouched down in front of the opening and extended an arm, chanting quietly underneath his breath. He felt Cleao draw up beside him and join him, enlarging his own puddle forming on the floor. Orphen sat back on his heels, turned and winked at her. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a raging fire, but it should get the job done." A tiny ball of crimson light was forming in the center of the fireplace, growing until it filled stone space. Leki struggled out of Cleao's arms and jumped to the floor in front of the fire spell, flattening and fanning out his fur around him.

Pushing himself off his knees, Orphen stood up and looked down at the contented Wolfen. "He's got the right idea. You, stay here," he said, and pushed Cleao firmly onto the floor next to Leki, then headed towards the door again. Cleao spun around on the wet floor and watched him indignantly

"What do you think you're doing?" She all but spit at him as he pried the door open. A fresh gust of wind whistled through crack, sending shivers down her back.

Orphen turned a bit to look at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm going out to see if I can lessen the storm any. Promise me you'll stay in here. Promise me, Cleao." It looked to him as if she were about to argue, but then her mouth set into a thin line and she nodded curtly.

"Good. Make yourself useful for a change then and start drying our extra clothes," he yelled over at her as he slipped out the door and fastened it behind him. Muttering under her breath, Cleao jumped and startled Leki when she heard a loud noise from the roof, her imagination supplying the vision of another tree toppling down on top of them. She let out a held breathe however when she heard the systematic thumping crossing the ceiling. Snarling, she shook a fist at the ceiling. _That man and rooftops, I swear, _she thought, and started to peel open the sodden packs and arrange their clothing around the floor.

Leki scampered up and grabbed one of Orphen's shirts out of the pack and dragged it across the floor. Cleao followed behind him and helped straighten it out, ruffling Leki's ears afterwards. "Oh, so you want to help to? You are such the cutest thing ever!" Leki yipped in agreement and continued to pull out new articles as Cleao straightened and arranged them.

Finishing up with the last garment, Cleao stood and stretched, and immediately froze with her arms still above her head when the entire house shook to its foundations and there came a series of loud crashing noises from above the ceiling. A weight settled down upon the small living room, the only sound the deafened wailing of the wind through the trees and the occasional shaking of the window panes.

As Cleao stood transfixed in the center of the room, the baby Wolfen swiveled its ears back and forth, then flattened them against the back of his head. Growling low in his throat, Leki jumped up and snatched the hem of Cleao's pants in his teeth, and began to pull her leg towards the cottage door.

Broken out of her trance, Cleao stared down at the pup, concern and confusion lacing her eyebrows together. Cleao allowed herself to be dragged to the door, to which Leki proceeded to throw himself against with increased fervor. Understanding lit in her eyes, and she began to manhandle the door open against the incoming wind. A gust caught the edge of the crack, and blew the door open, crashing it open against the wall of the cottage. Grabbing the doorframe for support, Cleao squinted her eyes against the onslaught of wind and rain. Leki dashed out beside her, his blue coat blending in with the gray, dreary landscape.

Cleao stumbled through the wind, calling his name and scanning the ground for any hint of blue fur. A glint of green eyes caught her attention a short distance ahead of her, and Cleao rushed in its direction. As she drew near, what she mistook for at first for a small mound slowly gained definition, and she dropped to her knees and crawled the last few feet when she made out the sodden form.

Orphen lay on his side on the ground unmoving, Leki licking the tip of his nose and mewing plaintively. Cleao bent over his listless body and clapped a hand to her mouth, shaking her head slowly. She didn't even notice the tears mingling with the rain running down her face.

* * *

Wringing out the wet rag, Cleao sat next to the bed and dabbed away the last of the dry blood from his forehead. She and Leki had managed to drag him back to the cottage and into the bed, where she had proceeded to strip him down to his undergarments. Unconsciously biting her lower lip, she ran a hand through his hair and down the side of his face. The entire left side of his body was a mass of blue and green, but at least she was fairly certain he didn't have any broken bones during the course of her rudimentary examination. Resting her chin on her hand, she chewed the side of her mouth and watched his chest slowly rise and fall. Her head sunk into her hands and she stared at the floor, oblivious to Leki's quiet whimpering underneath her chair. 

_I just don't know what else to do_, she thought, and berated herself for not having the skill or knowledge to do anything else for him._ You'd better wake up, Orphen …you'd better…_ Wordlessly screaming, Cleo suddenly bolted upright and slammed her fist into the wall, knocking the chair over backwards and sending Leki flying into the living room.

"Nothing else to do then," she said to no one in particular and reached down to pull up the blankets to cover him. An abrupt gust of wind shook the window in it's casing on the far wall, and Cleao shivered and wrapped her arms around herself against the sudden chill. Tucking the blankets carefully around Orphen's shoulders, she noticed he was shivering ever so slightly, even after being under all the blankets the small cottage supplied.

Hesitating for a moment, Cleao finally shrugged and climbed into the bed carefully next to him, trying to stay out of contact with the masses of bruises. Blowing the one candle out, she carefully placed herself against his side and thought she felt his muscles relax against her just a bit. _Don't be silly_, she thought to herself and closed her eyes against the lightning outside. A soft brush of a wet nose on her forehead caused her to crack an eye open, and she was greeted with a pair of glowing green eyes on the pillow next to her. Closing her eyes again, she whispered to the baby Wolfen, "If you tell anyone about this, you'll be spending your next life as a handbag." Leki only snuffed softly and curled up into a ball..

* * *

Tada, my first fan-fic! 

Sorry, couldn't resist the little Lassie moment near the end there. "Something wrong? What, what is it, girl? Did Timmy fall down the well?" Heh heh. Anyway, I've got most of the outline for the rest of this done, but I'll have to see how fast I can actually get the rest of it written with finals currently ripping my brains out. Also, I have no clue how many chapters this will be. My outline is currently VERY inconsistent, ranging from full dialogue and descriptions to lovely "see spot run" moments. Yes, I am a mess.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Water of Aetas**

**Ch.2**

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Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own the characters from SSO. Nor can I spell worth a crap. I checked this to the best of my abilities, and well, I'm sure there are still a few words I used which just plain don't exist. It's listed as rated M, for even though the language/content is no more than a 'T' at the moment, it shall progress much farther into the realms of the carnal, the gory, and the foul-mouthed by the end. Woot.

* * *

Orphen's eyelids fluttered and he mentally groaned. He felt like he had been run over by one of those new steam trains, and then dragged up and down the street a few times for good measure. And he was stiff in places he didn't even realize he had muscles to begin with. Shifting slightly on the mattress, Orphen started kicking the layers of blankets off him. Something was definitely wrong; he was warm, really warm, like he was sleeping abut of a coal furnace. 

Dragging his eyelids open, he squinted in the dim lightness of the room and let his head flop over on his pillow, coming face to face with Cleao's nose. "What the hell-" he shouted, and bolted upright in bed, ignoring his complaining muscles and accidentally kicking Cleao in the process. Cleao's eyes flew open and she sat up as well, frantically drawing the covers up to her face and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Orphen, you jerk!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. Orphen, still trying to remember the events leading up to his current situation, had enough time to throw a puzzled look in Cleao's direction before his field of vision was filled with glowing green eyes and then complete blackness once more.

A very pleased Leki jumped down off the bed and sat demurely next to Orphen, who was still sprawled half on, half off the bed. Cleao untangled herself from the blankets and rushed over to join Leki on the floor. _Oh God, I completely forgot… and Leki blasted him too boot. If he wasn't too badly hurt before, I bet he is now. …He's gonna kill me. _As Cleao smoothed his hair across his forehead and tried to assess any new damages, Orphen groaned and opened his eyes, and was greeted with a relieved looking Cleao.

His head still swimming, Orphen tried to focus his unsteady vision on Cleao. Wanting nothing more than to start raving, Orphen caught a glimpse of the wolf cub out of the corner of his eye, and decided maybe he should try and soften his tone. Well, just a little. "Forgetting about the most recent episode," Orphen began slowly and quietly, "could someone please explain to me what exactly is going on here and why I look like a used punching bag."

Cleao sat back and wrapped her arms around her knees and asked timidly, "You …don't remember anything?"

Orphen scratched behind his ear and screwed up his eyebrows toward the ceiling. "Well, I remember a certain someone making life difficult in the rain, playing with some fire, breaking and entering…" Here he faltered and fell deeper in thought.

"It was during the storm. Yesterday," she supplied for him. "You decided to go back out and try and weaken the storm, I think is what you said. It sounded like you went up to the roof, and you were there for some time, but then there was a crash, … and, …and we found you outside on the ground. I tried my best, but I just didn't know what to do." Cleao grimaced and swallowed hard.

Orphen ran his fingers through his hair and let his palm rest on the back of his head. "I think I vaguely remember being up on the roof, and then something about an energy backlash. Most of it's just a random jumble though."

"Maybe that should teach you then to stay off of roofs," Cleao sniffed indignantly.

"After that remark, never again are you allowed to make fun of my alleged lack of sensitivity," Orphen muttered and shakily rose to his feet. Cleao jumped up and grabbed his elbow as he teetered towards the door, blushing under the sudden contact. After helping him get seated in the lone chair in the living area, she surveyed the mess all over the floor. She and Leki had left the door open the night before in the mad dash outside, and water, mud, and bits of debris littered the floor - as well as their clothes. Her gaze shifted from the floor up to the wall to the window, where she gasped with delight. Orphen, who had been staring at his mage fire still alight in the fireplace, looked up at her, confused.

"Look, it's clear outside! We can finally leave this dingy place !" she all but squealed. Forgetting Orphen's condition momentarily, she hastily added, "Once you're feeling up to traveling again that is…"

Orphen smiled softly and shook his hair. "I wish it were that simple. I do remember one thing I learned studying the storm last night. This isn't any old thunderstorm – this one is a genuine monster."

Cleao looked puzzled. "You mean was."

"No, I mean is. Cleao, have you ever seen a tornado before?"

Cleao shrugged and walked over stand in front of his chair. "Yeah, once before. What's that have to do with anything?"

"Well, you know how those are basically swirling winds, which an empty pocket in the center?" Waiting for her nod, he continued. "Think of this as the same thing, only 300 miles across." Cleao's mouth formed a silent 'o' and her eyes widened. "We're sitting smack in the middle of that center now, and if I read the storm correctly, the strongest part hasn't hit us yet. The part I don't understand is that these things are usually found by the ocean, and if you haven't noticed, we're hundreds of miles from one. I can't figure out what it's doing out here, or how it's gaining strength even."

Cleao stopped chewing on the side of her lip and threw her arms out wide. "Well, we need to get out of here then! You weren't awake last night, but trust me, it felt like the wind was about to tear this place down already. I don't frankly want to sit through that again, or something even worse in this death trap. Teleport us out of here, magic man!"

Orphen looked guilty and dropped his eyes back to the mage fire. "Cleao, I'm – I'm really sorry. I … can't."

She took a step back from him, more alarmed by his admission than what it actually meant. _Orphen _never_ admits that he can't do something. At best he'll hedge around it, but never just come out and say it… I don't like this._

Obliviously to her reaction, he continued on. "I don't – whatever happened last night, it's drained me completely. I'd be surprised if I had enough left in me to heal my bruises, much less teleport this chair across the room. We're going to have to ride it out, Cleao."

Cleao sunk to the floor and Leki trotted over to curl up in her lap, nuzzling her hands for attention. Numbly scratching him behind the ears, she turned her round eyes to Orphen.

"If you really don't think the house is going to stand another onslaught," Orphen began - Cleao shook her head 'no'- "then we need to set up some supports and protections outside. There's a shed out back, and I'm sure there's some extra wood and tools ..we can use to…" Orphen trailed off as his head slumped towards his chest. Waiting for him to finish, Cleao leaned forward, and could just make out the sounds of soft snoring.

Completely exasperated, she picked up Leki and held him up in front of her face. "Trust a man to fall asleep in the middle of a life or death conversation." Sighing, she set the Wolfen cub down and stood up. Cleao raised a clenched fist and looked down at Leki. "Come on, Leki. Some one has to save our screwed butts." Leki yipped in agreement, and trotted after her as she made her way outdoors.

* * *

Cleao found his shed out back, and in it, a hammer and some random boards and logs. She picked up the hammer and stuck it though the belt loops of the pair of pants she'd been wearing since yesterday. Leki tilted his head and cocked an ear in her direction, wagging his tail slowly. 

She reached down and scratched him behind his ears. "I know boy, I sure hope I know what the hell I'm doing." As she continued to pet the baby Wolfen, Cleao tried to think back to when she was a small girl, when a large storm like this one had threatened Totokonta. Her father had been around at the time, and helped to organize the city's defenses. Running her fingers lightly over one of the spare boards, she recalled a fuzzy memory of her father nailing large, flat, wooden planks across all the windows. Thinking back to last night and how the windows already seemed weakened, Cleao didn't relish the idea of random objects flying into the house that way. Picking up a few boards under her arm and a bucket of nails she found in the far corner, Cleao headed off to find her first window.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Cleao stood back to look at her handy-work. The shed didn't have any boards large enough to cover one window on their own, so she had to improvise and use a few boards for one window, haphazardly aligned to cover the most area. Shrugging she looked down at Leki. "Well, it's not the prettiest thing ever, but since when did I claim to be a carpenter. Thank god the window frames are made of wood and not brick or something. Alright, back for some more wood. Come on, Leki."

Cleao started out for the shed but stopped and looked back for the Wolfen when she noticed he wasn't following. "Leki?" Leki's eyes flashed green, and next to him appeared a small pile of boards. Leki yipped and sat down proudly next to his pile.

Running over, Cleao scooped Leki up and rubbed his belly fur. "You are just too amazing! Thanks, Leki! This'll make things go so much faster," she added, looking up. The sky was devoid of any clouds, and sparkled a pale blue. In light of Orphen's earlier warning, the effect was rather unnerving. Putting the cub down, Cleao grabbed another board and started on the next window.

* * *

Orphen's neck was killing him, and when he opened his eyes, he could figure out why. Apparently he had fallen asleep in the chair, and if the indication from his neck muscles meant anything, he'd been here for quite some time. 

The room was dark, the mage fire providing a small amount of light and highlighting objects in a faint pinkish glow. He could just pick out the sounds of wind and rain coming from outside. _I wonder where Cleao is. Not used to it being this quiet with her around_. _Maybe she's sleeping. _Orphen tried to stand up to go search for his delinquent partner, and maybe find some food, when he groaned and leaned back in his chair. Those bruises were doing a number on him, and he wasn't moving anywhere quickly with them.

_I did say I had enough to start healing these, might as well make myself useful,_ Orphen thought, and lifted up a hand to start healing. He grimaced as he slowly ran his hand over the left side of his body. Maybe he had stretched the truth a bit about his current magical capabilities to Cleao earlier. He'd be lucky to even finish this small job before running himself dry again. At least he had had the foresight to make the mage fire spell self regenerating. Sitting alone in the dark was last on the list of his priorities.

Stopping before he caused himself to pass out again, he left his bruises still on the slightly under-healed stage, and Orphen slowly stretched in his chair before venturing to stand up. He was immediately hit by a wave of dizziness, and his stomach made an untimely comment upon its lack of loving care. Making his way over to the kitchen in the dim lighting, he tripped over a random piece of clothing lying on the floor and muttered a string of curses under his breath. Growling, he teetered over to the counter and started searching through the pantries. _I guess the Brat couldn't be bothered to clean up a bit before heading off to bed._

As he pulled random foodstuffs out and grabbed a knife to start cutting hunks off a block of cheese, Orphen heard a commotion rising over the wind and rain, and looked up just as the cottage door swung open. Cleao and Leki stumbled into the room, accompanied by a blast of wind and sheet of rain. Leki ran for the warmth of the fire as Cleao shut the door and leaned her weight against it, head bent down and dripping onto the floor.

Orphen could only stare, knife still raised in hand. A string of thoughts ran through his head as he watched her completely sodden, breathing in ragged gasps. Dropping the knife back onto the counter he finally managed a coherent sentence and burst out, "What the HELL did you think you were doing?!"

Cleao lifted her head a fraction and smiled softly at him and spoke so quietly he had to learn forward to hear her. "You said – stronger… needed support – windows…" Orphen could only blink at her. _She was out in_ that_…boarding the windows?_ His cheeks flushed slightly as he silently kicked himself for chiding her such a short while ago. Cleao's sudden coughing fit brought him back from his mental self-deprecation. He stalked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, and she blushed at the unexpected contact. Steering her over towards the mage fire, Orphen pushed her down into the chair and pointed a finger at her. "You. Sit." Shaking his head he changed his mind. "No. Go Change."

She looked up at him and brushed her wet bangs out of her face. Gesturing at the mess on the floor she croaked, "I might feel like crap, but I'm not changing into any of that stuff."

Orphen snarled and clenched his fists, evoking a startled yip from Leki. "If you don't get out of those wet clothes on your own, I swear I'll rip them off you."

Cleao blushed and straightened in the chair, bringing up a hand to cover the clasp of her cloak.

He shifted his feet uncomfortably and mumbled, "You, you know what I mean." Orphen cleared his throat and tried to regain some sort of outward composure after his unfortunate outburst. "Go wrap yourself in a blanket then or something. Remember, if you get sick, I can't do anything to help you, there's no one else around, and we can't get anywhere else fast enough either." Cleao just sighed and slowly stood up, making her way to the door to the bedroom. Satisfied that for once his orders were going to be obeyed without an argument, he headed back towards the kitchen to continue preparing the meal.

Cleao emerged from the back room just as Orphen was finishing up the plates, wrapped in layers of blankets, one hand clutching them closed in the front, and the other peeking out from the folds at her hips. She sunk to the floor in front of the fire, and Leki butted his head against her leg, mewing until reached her free hand around to scratch his ears. Orphen placed her plate down beside her, a small bowl of canned meat for Leki, and settled himself down next toe the mage fire opposite her.

His fork paused halfway between his mouth he looked down at the glaring Wolfen pup. "What, what's with you?" Leki's ears drooped and he whined, then gave a disgusted look at the bowl in front of him. The 'food' was still holding the can shape, complete with tiny ribs and indentions. "Look pooch, it's not gourmet, but it's the only thing here that resembles protein. If you don't like it, I can go open up one of those canned bread things for you instead." In answer, Leki stuck his face into the cylindrical meat product.

"They make such a thing as canned BREAD?" Cleao quietly asked, appalled, her first show of life since coming in from outside. Orphen stuck his fork into his mouth and spoke around his chewed food. "Yeah, they do. 'Course, I dunno why anyone in their right mind would buy it. Looks, and tasted like, wet cardboard."

Cleao turned back towards the magefire and her eyes began to glaze over again. "That's…repulsive." Orphen grunted his acknowledgement and went back to his food, while Cleao slowly picked away at hers.

Pushing his empty plate away from him, Orphen stretched and eyed Cleao from the corner of his vision. She had stopped eating and had begun staring quietly into fire, her face lacking any thought or emotion. Turning his head to get a better look, he narrowed his eyes and studied her more closely. _This isn't like her at all. Maybe she got hit in the head by a flying branch and turned into demure little Lady or something._

Orphen contemplated asking her about any suspicious head bruises when he noticed the blanket covering her upper body started to slip, exposing her shoulder on its way down. His lips involuntarily parted as his eyes became glued to the soft glow of the fire on her bare skin. He must have made some small sound, because Cleao started and hastily grabbed for the blanket edge, pulling it up tight around her neck. She blushed profusely and turned to glare at him. "You're as bad as Majic, you pervert."

Orphen stood up and shrugged. "What, it's like a carriage wreck; I couldn't look away." He bent down and picked up his plate. "Shut up and finish your food." Cleao huffed unhappily and went back to work on her dish, grumbling obscenities under her breath. Despite having wrinkled his nose at the preserved meat product, Leki had finished off the entire bowl and was now curled up into a tight ball, sleeping in front of the fire. Orphen picked up Leki's bowl as well and took them back to the kitchen, and as he washed them he watched Cleao attack her food. We winced as he saw her repeatedly stab a piece of carrot with her fork, glad she didn't have sharp objects pointed at him this time. _Looks like she's feeling better at least. … I'm never cooking with carrots again._

He finished up and walked back to stand in front of the fire, hooking his thumbs into his pockets. Cleao stood up as well, her dinner finished and forgotten. "Look you, I'm –" she began, as the house shook to its foundations, followed by a deafening sound of crashing and splintering. Cleao stood frozen in place, her mouth still open to say her next word. Orphen quickly surveyed the ceiling, and let out a held breath when he didn't feel a draft or rain. Whatever fell must have thankfully missed the cottage.

Looking over towards Cleao, Orphen grimaced. She was visibly shaking and was staring at the floor. Her knuckles were bone white and gripped tightly about her blankets. "We're…we're going to die here, aren't we?" she asked in a small, shaky voice. Orphen grit his teeth together and walked over to her, placing a hand on her head. He waited for her to look up at him. "No, we're not going to die here. We have your excellent protections you put up this afternoon, remember? Besides, you know Leki would stop any tree from falling on top of the house. He wouldn't let anything happen to you." Cleao glanced down at the ball of blue fur, and then back up at Orphen, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

"You half-brained magician, Leki slept threw that whole thing. He's still sleeping, in fact." Her voice broke. "Dammit, why can't you even lie well."

Orphen had the grace to look a little sheepish and dropped his hand from her head. "Well, that's 'cause he knew it wasn't …going to do…anything and , …anyway," he finished lamely, and averted his gaze to the far wall. A small sob escaped her, and Orphen looked back down at her and watched a tear slowly trickle down her cheek. Hesitating, he chewed the corner of his lip. He hadn't seen her looking this sad, defeated, or as his mind put it bluntly, this much like crap at any point he could remember. Orphen closed the distance between them and slowly brought his arms up, pausing once before letting them rest lightly on her shoulders. Waiting for her at any moment to either pull away or clock him one, he slowly pulled her towards him, until she rested her head against him and bawled into his chest. He stood stiffly for a second, but as she continued to cry into him, he slowly let one hand cradle the back of her head, and the other grip her across her back.

_Man, what the hell _am _I doing? She's right; I am as bad as Majic. That boy's a bad influence I say. Oh well, no use bitching about it at this point, as she would say._ As she continued to cry against him, he let his hand slowly massage her scalp and he rested his cheek lightly against her hair. Her scent wafted up at him, a mix of sweat from the day, rain, and a sort of 'Cleao muskiness' which while he couldn't put into words, seemed to do a number on his body anyway. Feeling a hot blush rising up his face, he tried to shift his lower body a little away from her, and hoped she was too busy crying to notice anything going on. _Dammit, now what's wrong with me? Oh crap, down boy._

Cleao felt him shift awkwardly beside her, and she braced herself with a hand on his chest. She wouldn't admit it to him any day, but at this point she wasn't exactly crying anymore and had been faking it for a little while, if only so she wouldn't have to move away quite yet. She hadn't planned on him however to start losing his balance and she brought her face up to see if there was anything wrong with him. Her lips brushed against his softly, and she squeaked, not realizing he had been so close.

She held her breath and stared up at him, waiting for him either to walk away or leave her with another sparkling jewel of insensitive Orphen flavored wit. A deep flush colored his cheeks and as shifted a bit to regain her balance, her hips brushed up against his and she felt her face heat to match his. _Well, this explained his behavior just now_, she thought.

Orphen inwardly cringed as she looked up at him, her eyes wide and lips slightly parted, and moved up against hard organ. He braced himself for what he was sure to follow, a scathing tongue lashing exploring new, uncharted realms of spoken language. And not that he didn't deserve it either. _She's my partner, for God's sake. My traveling companion, and a noisy, bratty, whiny, spoiled, stubborn, pig-headed one at that. And that's all, right? Right? _A tiny voice in the back of his head supplied a missing adjective: _Pretty_. _Well, yeah, I guess she's pretty, if you're into that sort of thing. And besides, isn't one of the prerequisites for being a rich, snotty girl being pretty? I'm sure I read that somewhere. _

Cleao continued to look up at him, the tears finally having dried up and only leaving small streaks down the side of her face. Orphen mentally shook himself. _Great, now she doesn't even have to say a word and she's got me arguing with _myself_! Come on, get a grip old man. _He had to admit though, with the way the mage fire cast tiny dancing lights into her blue eyes, she did look rather pretty despite being a complete mess otherwise. _Well, no backing down now, and no one's ever gotten away with saying I've backed down from a challenge. _Orphen swallowed hard and locked his gaze on her lips, safely away from her eyes. _Man, how does Majic do this? I gotta figure out how to get some pointers…Oh hell, I'm screwed anyway. Might as well_.

He brought his lips back down to meet hers, and paused when he felt her stiffen. _Aw, shit…_he thought and was about to think of some form of apology when she melted into him and pushed up against him. The firmness of her mouth and the way her body fit up against his both surprised and excited him. Whole-heartedly chucking caution out the nearest window, Orphen ran his along the inside of her lips and across her teeth, asking permission to enter. She granted it, and he felt more than heard her moan as he kissed her deeper. His entire body ached now and the hard bulge in his pants demanded some form of release.

His mind was immediately snapped away from his pants when she did…_something _with her tongue that made him involuntarily groan with pleasure and press her even tighter against him. Orphen snarled at the way the blankets wrapped around her bunched up between them, and decided it was time to liberate her skin from their scratchy surfaces.

Tilting her head backwards with his hand, he began tracing the curves of her face and neck with his lips and tongue, making a trail of tiny kisses towards the offensive blankets. Her eyes closed and a low sigh escaped her lips as he lingered for a moment on the nape of her neck.

Just as he was beginning to peal away the corner of a blanket from her shoulder, a crash of thunder shook the cottage, and Leki jumped up from sleep, yowling running around them in circles. _Well, that certainly ruined the mood._ Orphen thought sourly at the terrified Wolfen cub. The pup calmed down some and wrapped himself around Cleao's feet, rubbing his head against her legs.

Orphen took a step back, and with a little reluctance, dropped his arms to his sides. He watched Cleao from under his brow readjust her wrappings and fidget a little in place. When he cleared his throat, she looked up expectantly at him, but then quickly began studying the floor boards again. "Look, Leki will protect you. See?" He paused and began to count the number of nail heads in the mantle piece. "We, uh, we should probably try and get some sleep. Probably have a lot to do tomorrow," he began, a little lamely. Cleao nodded once and continued to stare at the floor.

Mentally kicking himself again, he sighed and took his shirt off, holding it up in front of her face. "Here," he said when she finally looked up at him, confusion clouding her eyes. "You can sleep in this. It's at least mostly clean, unlike the rest of the stuff on the floor."

A small nod was her only sign of consent, and she gingerly took the offered shirt and headed for the bedroom, Leki trailing behind her. Orphen groaned and leaned against the wall once they had left the room, rubbing his face with his hands. After what he deemed a proper amount of waiting, he headed for the bedroom as well, preparing himself for what he was certain to be a long and awkward night.

* * *

End of Ch.2 

Sorry it took so long to get it posted. I had it written- but not edited- a while ago, but then finals and some traveling took me away from my computer for a while so this here sat unloved and lacking attention for a bit 'o time. Now, with the longest winter break underway, I hope to get some more of this written a little faster, all the while trying to keep up with my webcomic and trying to get this CG parttime job. Sigh, lots to do.

On a different note - see, see? The realms of carnal-ness are opening up, as promised in the earlier disclaimer. There's only too many bad vampire romance novels sitting on my bookshelf to blame for this one.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**The Water of Aetas**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

** Disclaimer:** I in no way, shape, or form own the characters from SSO. Nor can I spell worth a crap. I checked this to the best of my abilities, and well, I'm sure there are still a few words I used which just plain don't exist. It's listed as rated M, for even though the language/content is maybe a little more than a 'T' at the moment, it shall progress much farther into the realms of the carnal, the gory (for example, some here in this chapter), and the foul-mouthed by the end. Woot. 

This is set at some point after Revenge. Majic's back studying at the Tower of Fang, if that wasn't too clear in the first part, and Cleao and Orphen are out traveling on their own, under the protective watch of Wolfen cub extraordinaire, Leki.

* * *

Orphen threw another stick onto his growing pile and mopped the sweat off his brow with the back of a hand. The mess left by the storm outside was staggering. Branches and random pieces of debris littered the ground and were piled high against the side of the cottage. In the back, a large tree had fallen through the roof of the shed, reducing it to splinters. Orphen figured that's what the massive crash from the night before must have resulted from. Cursing silently he flung another broken branch away from the cottage path. It was going to take them forever to dig themselves out at this rate. 

He watched as Cleao stomped outside and stood next to him, Leki cradled carefully in her arms. Her hair was still a bit disheveled and there was a red mark trailing down her face where the pillow edge had cut into her. She still wore his shirt from the night before, which only came down to about her mid-thighs, leaving her long, white legs bare. He was still a little bit shaken up from the night before and cleaning up hadn't improved his mood any.

"Nice look. You should try that out with the rebellious kids back in Totokonta," Orphen said, gesturing towards her face with a smaller twig.

Cleao rolled her eyes and sniffed. "Once again, your debonair wit never fails to amaze me. What are you doing out here so early making all this noise, Cranky-ass-ello? It's barely even morning yet."

Orphen glared at her then shook his head. "Do you even bother to look around you at any point? Any passage away from here is completely blocked, and if we ever want to leave we'll need to clear it ourselves. I don't know about you, but I don't relish the thought of spending enough time here so the only thing left to eat is that canned bread."

Cleao looked horrified and then smiled coyly at him. Orphen could only guess what was running through that little blonde head of hers, but mentally braced himself for whatever it was.

"Well, being the big, strong man here," she said, twisting a strand of blond hair with her finger, "I wouldn't want to stop you from exercising that well of testosterone there. Tell you what, you work on this little – set back - out here, and I'll go work on getting our clothes clean, 'kay?" Not waiting for an answer, she batted her eyes at him once and scampered off towards the cottage, slamming the door shut behind her.

Growling at her, he bent down to pick up another branch off the pathway. He just didn't understand women, that was the problem. One minute they could be sweet and understanding, and the next a demanding, space-taking, air-wasting, pain in the neck. Chucking the branch across the yard into his growing trash pile, Orphen straightened and knuckled his back. At least he could be thankful she offered to do something remotely useful this time, he thought as he wrinkled his nose at the thought of staying in the same clothes for yet another day. Finishing his stretch, Orphen set again at once more clearing the way around the cottage.

* * *

_That man!_ Cleao raged as she pounded into the house, slamming the door behind her for good measure. For the life of her she couldn't read him anymore. _One day he's romantic and caring, and then he turns around and acts like a muscled-headed, clueless, bone-brained, stubborn jerk!!. With the maturity level of a five year old, let's not forget… _Cleao huffed and Leki yipped his agreement in her arms. 

Moving over to one of the deboarded windows, Cleao watched him stretch in the early morning sunlight. She gazed at the light playing across the muscles of his bare torso and sighed unhappily. The problem was that he was too damn good looking for his – or her – own good. As it was, she was willing to put up with his more annoying habits for the time being. Not that she didn't enjoy a good argument or two, but sometimes the man was so frustratingly stubborn, especially when it was obvious she was right.

She growled again as she started to throw their dirty clothes into a manageable pile. Cleao wasn't sure what had happened the night before, and being uncertain about something was definitely not one of her favorite emotions. Sure, she had had fantasies before about Orphen, but it's not as if she _really_ thought of him _that way._ Seriously. _What self-respecting woman_ could, she thought to herself. _He's my working partner and traveling companion, nothing more, …regardless of whatever my subconscious dreams of when I'm not looking. He's like an older, annoying ,ever-present, older brother. Last night was an accident. Yes, an unfortunate,.. happy accident that won't happen again. _Cleao wondered however why that explanation seemed lame, even to the quiet confusion of her own mind.

Leki, sensing something was amiss, mewed and cocked one ear, the other one swiveling back and forth on his tiny head. Cleao sighed again and patted the Wolfen cub. "I know, boy, I'm a mess. Come on, let's make us some clean clothes so at least I'll feel better on the outside."

* * *

Orphen sat on one of the newly created stumps surrounding the cottage and rested his elbows on his knees. He surveyed his work so far and wished for nothing more than either Majic or Hartia to magically appear and help him clear away the remaining debris and foliage. He had managed a few short energy blasts every hour or so, but the majority of the cleaning work had to be done by hand, and he was still feeling his earlier, acrobatic departure from the rooftop deep in his muscles. If he managed to continue to work at the pace he had set himself all morning, he estimated he had perhaps another two days of solid work ahead of him. Hopefully he would have his magic power back by the next day and then he could forcefully blast themselves out instead. 

As he stretched his arms one last time before readying to stand up, Orphen saw Cleao emerge from the cottage with Leki bounding along behind her. Apparently she had already begun to wash his shirt, for she had changed into what looked like the cabin owner's spare clothing – a large, rumpled white button-down rolled up to her elbows and baggy khaki pants secured tightly around her waspish waist with an extra large belt, the loose end dangling almost to her knees. She trundled over to him and he thought she might have begun saying something, but he really wasn't paying all that much attention. _You know,_ he thought to himself scratching the back of his head, _some women look cute in oversized men's clothing. …Who'd have thought Cleao would be one of them._ _Where'd she find that kerchief for her hair too? Her hair looks nice piled up – _

"Heeelllllllo, are you even listening to me?!" Cleao interrupted his thoughts, loudly. Orphen started and grimaced up at her, completed clueless as to what he could have possibly missed this time. He blinked once and waited.

Cleao pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "I said, you two-bit entertainer, that you'd better get out of those pants and into something else if you expect me to wash those too. I don't care if you want to personally go around smelling like last year's garbage, but frankly, I don't want to share the same extended air space as you if you do." Now she smiled wickedly down at him and held her arms akimbo. "Consider it payback for last night. If you don't go find something to change into immediately, Leki here has kindly volunteered to remove that second layer of skin for ya', free of charge." The Wolfen pup yipped and wagged his tail vivaciously, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

Orphen stood up quickly and stared down at Cleao, who only smiled even wider, a flash of triumph lighting her eyes. Muttering a string of curses under his breath, he stomped off to the cottage to pillage some more of the owner's unneeded clothing. Orphen fervently hoped he had the strength to blast their way clear by tomorrow, or else he wasn't sure he could survive another day cooped up in the cottage with her and Leki. If the Wolfen didn't kill him first, she surely would.

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up, now!" 

Cleao was jolted awake by the rough shaking on her shoulders and Orphen's bellowing visage in her face.

"Wha-?"

"No time. Grab the stuff and move. Don't bother to get dressed, just get going." Orphen turned and started throwing their belongings into his backpack while continuing to look over his shoulder at the closed bedroom door.

Cleao sat up and shook herself a little while running a hand through her matted hair. Her brain was still slowly trying to process the idea of Orphen frantically packing their clothes when she was jarred awake by the sounds of quick, successive gunshots coming from the front of the cabin. As if on cue, Orphen grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet, bodily dragging her towards the back door.

_What in the hell is going on _now?! she wondered through the small hallway to the back of the cottage. _Bandits? Bill collectors? The owners? Long lost friends of Orphen's? This is one hell of a way to wake up in the morning. Give me coffee over this any day._

Once outside, Orphen held her close to the side of the cottage, one hand pressed lightly to her mouth. She wanted nothing more than to question the enigmatic sorcerer, but the tense way he currently held himself kept her quiet. Cleao's eyes darted around nervously while she strained to make out the voices coming from the front of the cabin. She could make out the sounds of men's voices arguing, but any distinct words were lost around the bulk of the building. Cleao settled on instead watching Orphen as he stood poised in front of her. He also hadn't taken the time to change and was only in a pair of ratty pants, the heavy clothes pack cutting into the bare skin of his shoulder. Leki poked his head out of the top of the pack and whined softly.

Orphen's eyes were unfocused as he also tried to listen to their newfound visitors. _Dammit all, of all times. Normally these guys would be a mere annoyance, but I don't think my powers are completely back yet. If it were just me I'd make a stand, but I can't place Cleao in danger for a 'maybe,….since I did promise her mother. Looks like we'll have to try and make a break for the woods…_

Taking a step away from the wall, Orphen motioned Cleao to stay quiet, who nodded once, lips pressed together tightly. Cleao watched for a few short seconds as he made his way silently into the clearing before beginning to follow after him. She could hear the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears, loud enough she was certain to alert the trigger-happy hooligans to their presence.

Orphen had reached the periphery of the woods and turned around to beckon towards her, rowing his arm around in a 'hurry-it-up' gesture. Cleao was about to hiss out a response for what he could do with that arm when his eyes widened and the blood drained from his face. Confused, Cleao began to take another step when she saw him raise a hand towards her and her world exploded into a wash of red and pain. Finding herself crumpled on the ground, Cleao managed to note through her foggy mind with a sort of giddy amusement that she couldn't move her limbs. _Huh, wonder why my back is all cold too, _she thought, groggily. _At least the rest of me's all warm. Hmm….kinda like a heated waterbed…..Waterbed….I wonder if Mariabella ever convinced Mom to get that waterbed…the ground sure is nice….._

Orphen watched in agitation as Cleao slowly made her way across the clearing towards him, picking her way delicately across the grass. _Of all the times to act the Princess, …hurry it up already!_ Orphen gestured angrily at her to pick up the pace, when he felt his face go slack and the ground drop from underneath him, as a burly man in dark clothes rounded the edge of the cabin, sighting a large hunting rifle along Cleao's back. Orphen had time to stretch out a hand towards her before he watched as the bullet slowly exploded through her upper chest, spewing forth what seemed to him an ocean of blood and small chunks of muscle and flesh. With the same confused look on her face, Cleao toppled forward to the ground, her blood quickly seeping out over the saturated soil.

He lunged for her, the gunman completely forgotten. He was dimly aware of the man sighting the rifle on him but all his attention was focused on the still body in front of him. Rolling her onto her back, Orphen sat dumbstruck as he watched the blood pumping out of the gaping, ragged, hole in her chest. Her white shift was already stained completely crimson and her lips had begun to cast a sickly blue hue. Cleao blinked up at him lazily, her eyes focused on something far behind him.

* * *

Leki howled in rage and jumped from the crowded pack, the Alpha two-leg frozen stiff for some inescapable reason to his wolfy logic. Strangers had dared to hurt _his _two-legs! Satisfied that Alpha was now tending to his two-legs, Leki turned his burning green gaze on the enemy two-legs. The shape was little more than a blurry red form to the pup's green-saturated field of vision, but that was all he needed. 

Bracing all four legs against the soil, Leki howled once more and gathered his power around himself into a dense cloak. Not caring about precision or technique, the pup cried out once more, and along the airborne sounds as his mother taught him, he unleashed a jet of pure, un-tempered power.

The blast caught the stranger full in the chest, who only had time to stumble back a step before the power blew him apart from the inside with a sickening _pop_. Fleshy chunks, bone fragments, and small bits of intestines and other pieces of internal organs burst out radially, sending some parts flying out as far as the edge of the woods. The air was heavy with a crimson stained mist, and the pup curled back his upper lip in satisfaction, tasting the metallic scent on the winds. Stretching slowly, Leki loped around to the other side of the two-legs den, intent on finishing the kill.

* * *

Orphen barely registered the small red drops falling slowly onto Cleao's face as he quickly ripped strips of cloth off her shift, stuffing them around the ragged wound. _The sky, it cries in blood_. Someone had said that before, maybe Childman…it had that certain uppity, poetic ring to it….and it was terribly fitting. Kneeling next to her, he brought up his hands to her slowly moving chest, blazing white with raw power. Orphen gritted his teeth together as he strained to dredge forth as much power as he could muster. The bullet missed her heart, thank the Heavenly Ones, but had ripped through at least one lung on its way out. And while the damage to actual flesh wasn't un-healable, Orphen could tell from her labored breathing and the small pink tinted bubbles foaming at the corners of her mouth that her lungs were filling up with blood, drowning her from the inside. 

_First things first, _he thought frantically as he siphoned blasts of healing energy into her torso, _stop the main arteries from bleeding and then work on clearing her lungs of fluid._ Orphen cursed himself for his slowness of healing ability. Already her eyes were growing glassy and her chest barely rose and fell. Lifting a hand up to brush a strand of hair out of his eyes, he inadvertently brushed her blood in a wide streak across his face, his fingers slick and red. The coppery smell filled his senses and he returned to his work with increased fervor. _ She's lost so much blood already. Don't die on me now, Cleao. You can't leave like this!_ He wasn't sure if that last part was only thought or if he screamed that out loud, as a garbled cry escaped his lips.

Pushing his fingers back into the hole the bullet had made, he fought down a wave of nausea as he slowly sifted through slick and wet muscle and broken bone. Orphen had managed to stop the bleeding, but there wasn't anything he could do about the loss of blood, and she had lost quite a lot. With one hand slowly healing and scorching away the fluids in her lungs, he kept the other pressed tightly to her neck, feeling for the dull pulse growing fainter and fainter with each passing moment. If only he were better at healing! He was great at blowing things apart, but putting them back together again wasn't always one of his stronger talents. Wishing silently that Hartia or Eris would show up to take over - hell, any kind of healer for that matter - Orphen continued to slowly drain her lungs.

He felt himself burning dry in his mad rush for more power, and knew that at this rate he'd at best end up like Stephanie, devoid of any magic whatsoever, the conduits and avenues burned and turned to ash. At worst…he didn't bother to finish the thought. Either he saved her or they both died here.

As he finished clearing her right lung and prepared to move on to her left, his insides burning from the magical overload, Orphen's breath caught in his throat, letting out a small, strangled sob, and his stomach fell to meet the ground. He couldn't feel her pulse anymore under his sticky fingers, and her chest had stopped its slow, labored, movement. Using both hands now, Orphen quickly pressed his fingers down all along her neck, looking for any sign of a pulse he might have inadvertently missed. _No, no, No, NO "_No!" he screamed out loud as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her against the ground. Cleao's eyes continued their unfocused stare and rolled back slightly, and her head lolled bonelessly from side to side.

Crying out wordlessly, Orphen attempted to gather whatever remained of his power and was setting to unleash all that was left of him when he felt a sudden unfamiliar weight on his shoulder, and a staggering amount of pure, hot power run through him, leaving him stunned in its wake. The touch of a small wet nose against his cheek was all Orphen needed to shake himself and he sent a mental thanks in the pup's direction. He had no idea the cub could channel such power, and he had difficulty at first controlling its raging, wild currents, and taming them enough to use on Cleao's broken form.

"Live, dammit!" Orphen screamed as he plunged two burning white hands to her chest. Leki's magic seared through her, blasting away the blood from her left lung into a fine mist and knitting together the torn muscles and bone. Orphen was growing giddy with the amount of magic coursing through him, and he fought to retain control of it surging around him. One slip up and he'd kill all of them in a backlash that would level the woods for miles.

Orphen gasped for breath as he looked down at her healed form, the new skin glowing stark white against the red and rusty brown of her shift. His eyes danced crazily over her, looking for some form of life or movement, but while he had succeeded in mending the body, she still wasn't breathing. Leki sagged against his shoulder and he heard the pup let out a small whimper before channeling one last package of power over to Orphen. Gathering it up with the last of his strength, he honed it to a fine point and sent it racing towards Cleao's heart. He held his breath and watched with wide eyes as her back arched under the raw blast and a ragged gasp escaped from her lips. His own breath sighing out, Orphen's eyes rolled back in his head as he toppled forward, falling across her breast, the Wolfen cub rolling a few short inches away.

* * *

Her lungs burned with liquid fire, and Cleao gasped for air as she clawed her way out of sleepy unconsciousness. Her eyes were dry and burned too and she blinked repeatedly until tears clouded her vision. Squinting through the blur, she made out Orphen's form lying on top of her, silent and unmoving. Her nostrils flared as she was flooded with a scent which was alien to her presently, but tugged at the corners of her mind. Trying to sit up a bit, she noticed for the first time that she was dressed in a small, red and brown dappled lacy shift. Her brows knotted together. _I don't remember owning anything this color. Where did…._ Her mind finally fit the pieces together in a jumble which knocked her back again flat on the ground. The metallic smell, her discolored undergarments, and Orphen's pale, gaunt, still face lying on her, half of it covered in a sticky red substance… _It's _blood!.. Cleao eyes then took in the shimmering red mist covering the clearing, the small pink and red squishy nuggets littering the forest floor, and the odd rope like pieces hanging from the trees. _Oh my God,.._ she managed before she rolled over to her side and retched noisily into the grass beside her.

* * *

"I can't – I can't stay here any longer!" Cleao screamed as she rocked back and forth on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around her and her eyes squeezed shut against the bloodbath in front of her. Orphen's arms were locked around her, his head resting on her shoulder, and he swayed back and forth with her. He hadn't set a word since waking up a short while ago, and hadn't moved from his new spot molded against her back. Leki lay curled in a small ball at her feet, sound asleep. 

Cleao shivered and bowed her head down to her knees, feeling Orphen's arms tighten slightly and lock around her. His head shifted slightly on its perch but he still didn't utter a sound. Turning her head slightly on her knee, she felt the brush of his bangs across her face and she hazarded opening her eyes. His face turned towards hers, resting just slightly out of reach and turned just towards the inside of her neck. His brown eyes were open and cloudy emotions which Cleao couldn't begin to read played across their surface. Cleao's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened slightly. A clean, wet path of skin showed through the splash of rusty brown on his cheek and his bottom eyelids glistened. _He was crying! _

Shifting, Cleao lifted her head and tried to turn in his firm embrace. "Orphen –" she began but stopped when she didn't know what to say to him. She'd only seen the sorcerer cry once before, and it certainly wasn't over her. A simple "thank you" or "it's ok" also didn't really sound appropriate to her ears, and she found herself in a rare moment of complete, uncomfortable, speechlessness. Whenever Mariabella, Mother, or even Majic had been sad or hurt, Cleao had always known something to say to help lift their spirits, but she was thrown completely off guard by this open display of emotion from the sorcerer.

Orphen's arms began to unwrap themselves from around her torso, and his hands rested lightly on her shoulders before she felt his fingers press lightly against her bare skin, beginning to turn her torso around. Her chest was pressed firmly against his, and his arms locked in place once more behind her back, holding her tightly against him. Stunned for a brief second, she could feel his heart beating against hers, and his body faintly shaking. Cleao slowly raised heavy arms, and paused once before resting her palms lightly on his back. She felt him bury his head into her shoulder and the faint wetness his tears produced there, and relaxed more into his embrace. Cradling the back of his head with one hand, she rocked him slowly back and forth on the wet ground, wishing with all her heart she knew what to say.

* * *

Sorry, this one isn't quite as well written – I don't do too well writing over such an extended period of time, and on the amount of holiday alcohol I consumed. Ahem, anyway, hopefully ch. 4 will be out by the end of January. I'm trying to at least get a chapter done a month, if not more…we shall see. The entire thing is outlined now so it's only a matter of time of sitting down and pounding it out on the old keyboard. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed so far, you guys are great! 


	4. Chapter 4

**The Water of Aetas **

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Disclaimer: Yup, the same it's always been. 

This is set at some point after Revenge. Majic's back studying at the Tower of Fang, if that wasn't too clear in the first part, and Cleao and Orphen are out traveling on their own, under the protective watch of Wolfen cub extraordinaire, Leki.

Hey, (some) major plot is finally explained here !! Whoopee!!!! Viva l'exposition!

* * *

A gloved fist crashed down onto the ancient, wooden table, sending the crystal gazing sphere flying across the room and ultimately into the far stone wall, reducing it into a shower of glittering splinters. The glass fragments clinked across the marble floors as the fingers rapped lightly across the table's surface. 

_I just can't believe it! It took me _months _to create the perfect conditions to conjure up that storm, and I don't have the power left to do anything of that magnitude again. Not that I really expected it to kill a sorcerer of his caliber, per se, but at least it could have slowed him down or maybe broken his concentration a little. Even with the lightning strike he doesn't show one ounce of damage. Impossible luck. _

_But, but – those idiotic bandits! How hard can it be to kill one stupid girl?! One powerless girl is all I ask, and they somehow manage to botch even that! You just can't find good help these days I suppose. Maybe that old scroll was right, maybe I should have taken the time to grow and engineer my own henchman. Ahh, twenty-twenty they say. _

Another hand joined the first, the fingers steepling together. _Patience. In a few days he should make it to Amangrade – there should be some decent help there for hire…the city has been going to the slums these past few decades. Perhaps there…. Yes, I can stop him there…He should be well enough distracted. Don't worry, my pet, you'll be safe from him soon enough. _

From off a shelf in the corner of the room, another gazing ball floated through the air, coming to rest on the worn spot in the center of the table. A soft light played across the surface as it gradually came to life.

* * *

Cleao stretched lazily and placed her hands on her full stomach, a contented smile splitting her face. The remains of a large meal lay on the table in front of her. Orphen sat at the small desk across the room, his back to her and lost in thought over a book he was studying, absent-mindedly tapping a pen against the side of his head. 

Earlier today they had arrived in Amangrade, bedraggled and hungry and a bit worse for the ware. They had luckily found a traveling farmer to grab a ride with for the last few leagues, allowing them both a chance of needed rest. Cleao's reserves were all burned up in her speedy healing, and Orphen was still recovering both physically and emotionally. Although he hadn't said much to her over the past few days, he also hadn't strayed more than three feet from her at any point down the empty road. To say the least, she was a little confused by his behavior, but she figured in his Orphen-tinted way of dealing with emotional issues, he'd either tell her on his own time or bottle it up forever. No amount of nagging, she had found through many marathon hours of testing and experimenting, would ever change that.

Orphen stared at the open pages in front of him, his eyes long unfocused from the runes written there. He could hear Cleao finishing up her third helping of dinner behind him, he having long since finished eating. The book was one of many of Rox Roe's personal diaries, ones he had 'liberated' from the Tower of Fang's unorthodox confiscation of the dead man's property – or more correctly, Majic had liberated for him. He figured that Roe would have wanted his collected knowledge to help his former students and protégés, and Orphen figured that he qualified as worthy of that help. While normally he found the old sorcerer's anecdotes and equations to be enthralling, he couldn't seem to finish even one paragraph before his mind wandered.

He had finally admitted to himself that Cleao had really given him a scare, more so than he thought possible. _She's important to me, yeah, that's true. But I dunno, I guess I always thought of her as the annoying younger sister type, someone to count on and pick on and always have around when you least want them,… family. _Orphen's brows knitted together and he made lazy circles on the book page with his index finger. Something wasn't quite adding up right though. He'd thought of, and still did think of, Azalea as family, but whenever she was in trouble or danger it didn't quite elect the same response as earlier. Everything just seemed more real, more imminent, and more important. He shivered slightly. _I, I just don't get it. When did things change? Hell, what under the Heavenly Ones is it changing _to_? If it was just this one thing, I mean, she did almost – almost,…but then again, there was the night before that. … What the hell was I doing?!_

Orphen growled underneath his breath and was jolted out of his inner thoughts when he heard a loud snap. Surprised, he looked down to find his pen broken cleanly in half, slowly dripping excess ink onto the table top. Scowling, he magicked it away and pushed himself away from the desk.

Cleao was kneeling on the floor tossing a small, worn ball at Leki, who romped around, yipping happily with the attention. Orphen watched her silently for a moment, leaning back on the desk, arms crossed in front of him. She was so happy, so carefree, although it seemed to him she might have been trying just a little too hard. He could just make out small lines around her eyes which he was certain weren't there a few days earlier. He grimaced again to himself. _And why the hell did I make note of that anyway?_

Cleao looked up from tossing the toy at Leki and felt the smile slide halfway off her face. Orphen watched her from across the room, looking like murder warmed over. _He must think I'm wasting time, as usual_, she thought to herself, and tried harder to fix the remains of her smile. _ He must be pretty mad at me for gods knows what reason…Bet he thinks I'm the dumbest thing around now or not capable of taking care of myself at all or something like that. But damn, would it kill him to look a little more friendly? _

She threw the toy to Leki one last time and stood up, immediately launching herself onto the nearest bed and crossing her arms behind her head. "Man, we sure were lucky finding a room this nice, and with two beds too, what with this festival coming up and all." Cleao rolled over to her side and turned towards Orphen. "What do you suppose this festival's all about? I didn't hear too many details from the townsfolk on the way in."

Orphen grumbled and stalked over to the other side of the room, where a mess of broken vases and dishes were piled on the floor. "The only reason we got this room in the first place is because I was 'volunteered' to fix all the broken china by a certain loud someone. Also, I wouldn't consider still having to pay full price on our currently empty purse as "lucky"'.

Cleao grimaced. _So much for trying to change the subject. Man, something really has that man's underwear tied up in a – _

"And speaking of our less than comfortable monetary situation, I got a part time position for the next couple of days helping to clear away the rest of the storm wreckage in time for the festival." Orphen looked over his shoulder pointedly at her. "If , by any chance, you feel like helping for a change, I'm sure there's something the festival crew could use you for, even if it was just cheerleading."

Cleao fumed and bit her tongue as Orphen turned back to repairing the broken plates. _That – that insufferable excuse for a - _ Cleao stood and straitened her dress, before stomping off towards the desk. Sweeping Orphen's work aside, she plopped herself down in the chair and found a clean piece of parchment. Picking a pen at random, she began to scrawl furiously on the paper.

_Dear my favorite male, Majic, _

_ Orphen is a jerk . I mean, a real class-act piece of crap. I don't really want to go through all the details on paper here, but do you think it'll kill the man to be perhaps a little sociable or considerate once in a while? Really Majic, I don't get it. Like, well, one night a few days ago he… _

Cleao paused and looked down at her writing and chewed on the corner of her lip. Maybe Majic really wasn't the best option to be writing to, especially when it came to advice about _men._ Sure, Majic was a guy and all, but she really didn't consider him an expert on anything masculine. Now, if she needed an opinion on a new carpet or flower arrangement, she'd know who to go to. Also, she didn't really feel comfortable explaining the last couple of days here in writing, that would make it too final, and would much prefer just to tell him in person. Or maybe really not at all. Cleao still wasn't certain of her own feelings in the matter to be adept enough to explain to another. Scratching through a few lines and revising, Cleao continued.

_Let's just say it's like I'm traveling with two different Orphens. It's incredibly confusing and tiring. Dammit Majic, when's your semester break?! I could really use another outlet for his abuse here! _

_Anyway, how're things at the Tower and with Eris? Hartia not been working you too much? Well, we're in Amangrade now, and as far as I know, we'll probably be here for a while yet. As far as I know, Magic Man wanted to do some research here, and from what he seems to have to go one right now, it'll probably take some time. He still hasn't explained to me fully what the hell we're doing out here. Maybe tomorrow I can pry some more out of that steel trap. _

_Well, take care Majic. Don't forget to do your laundry, or take Eris out every once in a while. Girls like to be treated nice, and for some reason you men just can't seem to understand that! _

_Hugs and Kisses, _

_ Cleao and Leki _

Cleao folded up the letter and sealed it with a bit of wax just as Orphen was finishing up the pile of china. Ignoring him as he watched her cross the room, she gathered up her night clothes and headed for the attached bathroom, slamming the door practically in his face.

Orphen frowned once she was in the other room and slammed his fist into the floor next to him. What was his problem? He did it again, made her angry for no reason for the second time that night. He was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with him. The more he came closer to admitting that Cleao perhaps was more important to him than he thought previously, he said something even more heinous to her. He wanted to be nice, well, maybe cordial, to her, but any good intentions flew out his ears when he saw her. It was just too damn entertaining to push her buttons.

_That's it though. I almost lost her there, before I've had a chance to even decide how I really feel about her. Come on Orphen, how hard can it be. _ Orphen paused for a moment in his mental tirade before pushing himself off the floor and heading towards his bed. _That's it, tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll make a real effort this time to try and be nicer to her. Or at least maybe just not royally piss her off. That might be easier. I can be charming, dammit! ….do I even want to be charming? _

Stripping off everything but his pants, Orphen flung himself into bed and rolled under the sheets. He lay awake as he listened to her finally emerge and climb into her own bed and waited until he heard her settle down into sleep. Turning over onto his other side, he watched her sleeping form in the dim moonlight. Leki was curled around her head as usual, his tail draped protectively across her neck. Orphen sighed to himself quietly. At least sleeping she looked peaceful enough. He was afraid she'd have restless nights or nightmares these past few days, but as long as the Wolfen cub was near her, she seemed to sleep fine. Satisfied at least that he hadn't made her mad enough to disrupt her sleep. He'd have to tell her eventually about her narrow brush with death, since she obviously didn't consciously remember a thing, shock he supposed. But not tonight, maybe not for a while. Orphen pulled the covers up around his shoulders and tried to get his own rest amid his running thoughts.

* * *

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Cleao asked, leaning forward a in an attempt to look more menacing. 

Orphen looked at her pointedly once before returning to packing his small knapsack with books. "Exactly what I said – Leki has to stay here in the room today." Knotting the top closed, he stood and turned towards her. "Look Cleao, I'm not exactly thrilled with having to leave him behind either, but there's no way we can risk bringing him. It's the Tower of Ea's Research Library after all. There's a good chance someone there will recognize a Wolfen by sight, and his magical aura alone will alert the entire conclave that something is up." Orphen paused and squinted at the cub in question, who was happily gnawing on and old ham bone. "Besides – doesn't he look bigger to you? I don't think he'll fit well in this bad anymore"

Cleao joined him in his scrutiny of the pup. "You know, I thought I was imagining things. I thought he might have been getting heavier, and he definitely hasn't been fitting on my head as nicely as before." Suddenly all smiles, Cleao clapped her hands and scooped the cub off the floor, who yipped in surprise at being separated from his chew toy. "My little boy's growing up!" Cleao squealed, tickling his belly fur.

Orphen sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah, uh, whatever. We won't be gone all day so he should be fine in here." Leki's ears wilted and he whimpered softly.

"Don't you worry your sweet little head," Cleao crooned into the pup's fur. "Mommy will be back to play with you soon."

"Oh, god," Orphen moaned and hoisted his bag, heading for the door.

Along the way to the library, Cleao took some small notice of the surroundings of the new city, but mostly just let her mind wander. Orphen had given her a map of the area earlier that morning, in case they got separated so she wasn't too concerned. Apparently, he didn't trust her sense of direction. Which, of course, was stellar. _And thinking of the man, what's up with him again? I'm honestly beginning to think something's finally snapped and he should be taking medication of some kind. Isn't there some sort of behavioral problem that looks like this? Mad, nice, mad, nice….Argh, I could strangle him! Or me._ Truthfully, she was still a little bent out of shape over having to leave Leki behind, even if rationally she knew he was right on this one. She liked having both the men in her life around, especially since only one of them really seemed to like her on a consistent basis.

"We're here," Orphen said, jarring Cleao back to the present. She mouthed a silent 'O' as her eyes traveled up the façade of the building looming in front of her. Now _this _was a Tower! The Tower of Fang, to her educated sensibilities, had long been let fall to ruin and was nothing more than a dusty old pile of crooked stones. These sorcerers new how to keep a place up! Cream colored marble walls flew up into the clouds, ornately –yet not gaudily – decorated with tiny bass reliefs. The tower itself was situated at the top of a grand staircase, also marble, and wide double doors were flanked by the grandest archway Cleao had ever seen. The building fairly sparkled in the early morning sunlight.

Orphen however seemed unfazed by the architectural wonder before him, and immediately trudged up the stairs. Cleao sighed and ran along after him, holding up the long skirt she had chosen to wear in an attempt to look 'secretarially', as she put it. Once inside, Orphen made his way across the pillar lined antechamber to a fashionable wooden desk, with Cleao slowly advancing behind him, walking backwards and staring at the painted ceiling.

Just as Cleao made it to the receptionist desk, Orphen spun around and thrust a card at her. "Here, I've just checked us in for the day. Keep this with you at all times, or well, else.."

"Or else we'll have to bodily remove you from the premises," the woman behind the desk cut in, who happened to be the most bird-like woman Cleao had ever seen. Her name tag read "Zu" and Cleao couldn't help but snort. _Yeah, her parents got that one right_. "Trust me dear," she said, glaring at Cleao over her half-moon spectacles, "you wouldn't like it."

A young boy standing to the side took his cue and escorted them to the 'Magicals Librarary', as he dubbed it. Cleao immediately had a sinking feeling in her gut as she and Orphen entered the immense room. A large dome of skylights crowned the center of the ceiling, and bookshelves reaching at least three stories high ran across the floor. Small desks and study nooks were strewn throughout the shelves, and Orphen led them to one close to center of the room. Cleao shied away from approaching anything within a three foot radius, with the intention of not touching anything until they left. She'd had far too many accidents in magical libraries to want another added to her name.

Cleao began unpacking his bag on the table and watched out of the corner of her eye as Orphen began to pick books off the nearest shelf. "How do you know what you're looking for? You're not even taking time to read the table of contents." Orphen answered without stopping. "I asked earlier. While you were sightseeing in the foyer."

Cleao harrumphed and sat down in the nearest chair, pulling a pad of paper towards her. Taking up a pen she prepared to begin note taking and then woodenly put the instrument back down on top of the tablet.

"So um, hey there Mr. Big Time Sorcerer," Cleao asked a little tersely. Orphen grunted in acknowledgement and continued to pull down volumes. "You know, I'm here to help and all, except there's one tiny, little, oh nothing really important…problem here." He looked over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow, listening. Grimacing, Cleao hefted the pen in one hand and pointed the end at him. "Fancy Pants, if you want me to be of any use, you gotta tell me what in the seven hells I'm supposed to be looking for." Orphen paused for a moment, his face devoid of emotion and unreadable, before seating himself in the chair across from her.

"I suppose there's no great harm in telling you now –"

"No GREAT harm? What the hell does that – "

"Now that we're finally here in Amangrade," Orphen continued, running her over. "You remember those volumes of Roe's I got a few months back?" Cleao nodded curtly once, still prickling over his remark. "Well, there was something interesting in one of them." Orphen paused now and ran a hand through his hair, his eyebrows knotting together in thought.

Cleao sat, demurely she thought, shortly before poking him with the pen end. "Weeelllll?"

"Well? Well… Let me put it like this. Let's say you were a two year old – "

"Now hold it right there, buster!" Cleao began, eyes blazing.

"HYPOTHETICAL two year old, you idiot," Orphen glared back. "Now, _saying_ you were one, how would you feel that while possessing the body of a toddler, you had the memories, experiences, hopes, desires and fears of ..oh, a forty year old?"

She paused for a moment and chewed her bottom lip, thinking. "That - that would officially suck," she finally concluded.

Orphen couldn't help but smiling at her response. "Yes, that would officially suck, I agree. Well, from what I can glean from Azalea's letters," Orphen dropped his voice now and leaned forward across the table, "that's exactly what's wrong with 'baby' Childman."

Cleao sat back stiffly and couldn't help her jaw from falling down to greet her feet. "You're kidding?!" She all but screamed at him. Passing researchers stopped to glare at her, and she waved at them sheepishly.

One of Orphen's eyebrows quirked in amusement. Trust his Cleao to piss off every sorcerer in the room that easily. _His Cleao?_ "No, I'm not kidding. Granted, her letters are pretty hard coded in case anyone else gets a hold of one, but that's the only answer I can get out of them. And besides," and now it was Orphen's turn to look sheepish, "I'm not really sure what I did when I…" He faltered once and Cleao waited patiently for him. He still didn't like to talk about the day he faced the Bloody August for the last time.

"In any case, here's where Roe's journal got real interesting." Orphen pulled out the book he had been studying the night before and opened it to a well worn page, one depicting a strange looking sculpture, almost fountain-like. Checking over his shoulders quickly, Orphen tapped the picture with one long index finger and continued in a whisper. "According to Roe, this here is an ancient device of the Heavenly Ones, one which had control over aging. The Fountain of Aetas."

Cleao raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean, like those crazy eternal youth guys, like Lycoris' dad?"

Orphen shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If I'm reading this right, it has the ability to make a person younger _or _older, depending on how you envoke it. I don't think I'm translating the details quite right though, it's babbling on about something with small particles multiplying and weird double spiral magical things."

She decided to make a leap of faith. "So….you want to try out this thing on Childman?"

Orphen slumped back into his chair and nodded, wearily it seemed. "It's the least I could do, especially after the way I treated him. He deserves better than this." He snorted softly, amused. "Besides, I think this is why Azalea sailed off for that new continent all those years ago. She wanted to hide herself and Childman and what had actually happened, just in case something could be done to make him, well, old again."

Cleao paused before looking a little disgusted. "You mean, she still wants to _marry_ him? He's her son now! I think. Kindof. …….That's gross."

"I dunno." Orphen shrugged "I – don't really want to think about the logistics of that. Whatever floats their collective boat I guess." Picking up half the pile of new books, Orphen handed them over to her side of the table. "Go through these. Mark anything that's even remotely relevant. I'm still missing quite a bit of information for this to work."

Cleao shrugged nonchalantly and opened up the book on top of the stack. Prepared to help Orphen in his surprisingly noble, yet frankly disturbing, task, she turned to the first page. Cleao liked Childman just fine, and thought he was a handsome old gentleman for the brief time she knew him, but she still couldn't figure out what he saw in that manipulative, crazy, bitchy, Dragon-Lady, all current biological incestual issues aside.

She was crestfallen at what she saw. "Orphen… it's all in rune. You know I can't read that." Well, that was a little bit of a lie. In the years traveling with the sorcerer she had from necessity picked up pieces of the language here and there, but had no where near the mastery for this.

Orphen looked up from his own book, confused, and then blushed, of all things. Digging into his vest pocket, _He needs new clothes_ – Cleao thought – he brought out a long and thin leather pouch. Orphen cleared his throat as he passed it to her. "I uh, well Hartia really, had these commissioned from the Tower of Fang's resident Fabricator. Open it."

Cleao did as instructed and looked quizzically at the item in her hand. _A pair of glasses?_ Granted, they were pretty, and very elegantly crafted, but she wasn't sure whether to be confused or insulted, or just giddy Orphen bought her a present, even if it was grossly inappropriate.

As she sat there cradling them, Orphen continued. "Put them on."

Aw hell, nothing to lose anyway, she figured. Slipping them on, she gasped in surprise They fit perfectly, to the point she could barely even feel them resting on her nose. Her eyes darting around the room, Cleao was confused as nothing seemed to be any different. Well, maybe some colors were a little brighter, but no big difference. Then she looked down at the book in front of her and giggled, clapping her hands like a small child. _I can read it! I can actually _read_ it!_ Most of the runes on the page appeared to be nothing more than normal text now, with the occasional one still blurred and uncertain.

Cleao looked up at Orphen and beamed, who easily returned the smile. "I thought you might like them." A soft look slowly crept into his eyes. "You know," he said, resting his chin on the palm of one hand, "I wasn't sure if lens setting was right when I first saw them. You look cute in them." Cleao's smile froze on her face and her eyes glazed over a bit. _Cute? Did he just finally admit that I was cute – how many years has it taken? Is someone recording this?_

Immediately blushing, Orphen cleared his throat and began briskly burying himself in the book in front of him. Cleao regained her smile and gloated quietly in her chair. _That's right, I'm damn sexy. Eat it, all you sorcerers – I'm his good looking partner and not yours. Hmm, maybe I could do this sexy secretary thing more often. _

The minutes, then hours, ticked by as Cleao and Orphen leafed through the volumes on the table, Orphen occasionally getting up to retrieve more off distant shelves.

Cleao was down to her last volume and had become a little disillusioned with her search. Rationally, she knew that any artifact with claimed powers such as these would have little research on it, but she had still hoped for Orphen's sake that she'd find something worth noting.

Flipping through the pages slowly, a thicker page in the center of the book caught her attention. Lifting a corner gingerly, she examined the paper in question. It wasn't actually thicker, but really a double width page folded over on itself, the loose end tucked into the center binding. Lifting the fragile page carefully, Cleao gasped at what she found. The three pages side by side formed a large map of the continent, one more detailed and expansive than any current map she'd ever seen. _This must be old, really old. Maybe even from the Heavenly Ones? _

Cleao looked across the map and its strange tiny markings, trying to make out landmarks and places she knew. _Here's about where Totokonta is now…huh! A forest?! Who would have guessed! Lessee, nope, Tower of Fang isn't there either. Either this map is really freaking old, or the Tower sorcerers lie about how long the institution's been around. Maybe both,_ she finally decided. _Looks like there was a town here at Amangrade before, …Ammancity maybe? Something like that at least. _Wandering over a mountain range, her eyes came to rest on a name which looked vaguely familiar. _Eithahs__ Mountains__? Eithahs….you know, that almost could be…_

Taking a chance, Cleao spoke up without removing her gaze from the page. "Hey Orphen, how did you pronounce that Fountain name again?"

Orphen looked up at her from his tome. "Hey, nice map there. Aetas. Eye-Tahss," he said, drawing it out.

Cleao bit her lower lip, hoping she wasn't crazy. "Maybe you should come have a look at this." She started to push the book over to him, but he stopped her by getting up and coming around to her side of the table. He leaned over her to get a better view and placed a warm hand on her shoulder for balance, sending a shiver down her back. He cupped the curve of her shoulder gently, and as she thought, perfectly. _Down girl._ _It's just a hand for gods' sake._ "See here," she said, pointing out the surrounding mountain ranges, "I remember from my studies that this has traditionally been thought of as ancient Heavenly Ones areas." Orphen nodded. Gathering steam, she pressed on. "And see here, _Ammansitie_, that's here, at Amangrade. Pretty similar names, don't you think?" She felt Orphen breathe out heavily along her neck as he thought.

"Yeah, that does seem to be a little too much for a coincidence. Languages do gradually change after all, especially over the amount of time since this map must have been drawn. It's practically ancient."

Drawing one last breath, Cleao moved her finger over to the mountains in question. "So, would it be too far of a stretch then to assume that Eithahs, here, is actually a former spelling of Aetas?" Cleao waited as Orphen studied the map, wildly wishing she wasn't getting his hopes up for no reason.

Finally, Orphen drew back from her and she turned around in her chair, expecting him to be angry. Instead she was surprised to see him smiling down at her, quite pleased. "Good work, Cleao. I can't say for certain, but I've got a hunch you may be on to something. We'll start cross-referencing some from there." Orphen went back around to his side of the table and begin to hunt through the books anew, humming softly to himself, off-key.

Cleao all but shone. Not only was she not useless, she actually had made a fairly big discovery! Rolling up the sleeves of her blouse, she prepared to make a detailed copy of the map in front of her. Orphen thought she did a good job! _I can't believe it! Little ol' me, fighting with the big boys! Look out sorcerers, Cleao Everlasting, researcher extraordinaire is on the case. Rar! Damn, I feel smart _and _sexy. Can't beat this_. Smiling to herself, she began tracing out the outlines of the landmass.

* * *

"I'm going look for a few geography books in another wing. Be back soon," Orphen waved as he disappeared around a bookshelf. Cleao absent-mindedly stuck two fingers up in reply, her attention bent on the sketch in front of her. 

Putting in the last of the labels, Cleao leaned back in her chair and stretched. She had to admit, the map looked pretty damned good. _Looks like all those drawing lessons Mom paid for finally have found a use. Who'd have thought._ As she gave her map one last look over, Cleao started when a large shadow fell across the table.

"Orphen, by other wing did you around the table –" she started, and then looked up with wide eyes, trailing off. "…Oh."

Two, strikingly handsome, sorcerers stood at the edge of her table, looking down at her. "We thought he'd never leave," the taller of the two, _Blondey -_ Cleao labeled, began. "Thought we might have to wait here all night at this rate." The shorter redhead winked at her. _Spunky_, she thought, supplying the other label.

"What my friend here is trying to say is, it isn't often that beauty such as yours crosses these thresholds," Spunky continued on, leaning on the table. He picked up Cleao's slack hand and moved it towards his face. "Charmed, my Lady," he whispered as he brushed his lips across her fingers.

Cleao felt her face heat up in a vivid blush, and dimly heard herself murmur some appropriate response. _Come on girl, snap out of it! You haven't been removed from the dating race for so long to have lost all your game. Get it in gear, at least for appearances sake. _

Spunky had just gently pulled her to her feet she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and haul her backwards. Panicking, she was some what relieved to see a familiar silver trimmed black glove.

"Friend of yours?" his voice asked, soft and menacing.

Cleao really wanted to take the opportunity to tease Orphen about this, but something pulled at the back of her mind in warning, and she decided maybe she'd better opt for straight out truth in this case. "Oh no, they just came over to say hi, right boys?"

Spunky and Blondey stiffened, and looked askance at each other before walking off towards the back of the wing. Cleao let out a held breath and gasped when he spun her around to face him, holding her at arms' length. She began to fidget a little under his unrelenting gaze as he studied her, but finally shrugged and released her shoulders. Cleao backed up a step and watched confused as he stomped back to his chair, and begun separating books on the table. _Well, that was weird. What's with him?_ she thought, lightly rubbing her arms.

Orphen stuffed his journals into his bag, sliding all the other books over to the edge of the desk. Let the librarians deal with them later, he frankly wasn't in the mood to track down every last shelf niche. Drawing the bag closed with more force than necessary, he rounded on Cleao, still standing beside the table.

"Well, you coming?"

Cleao stared at him blankly for a second. "What?"

"Just what I said – you coming? I'm going make some money for this sorry outfit and I wanted to know if you'd perhaps deign to join me in a bought of manual labor, your Highness?"

She narrowed her eyes at his tone of voice. If she didn't know better - and she most certainly did! – she'd have thought Orphen was _jealous_. Instead, she tilted her head and sniffed. "Oh come now, we all know it's the man's job to make money. Go out there and make me proud," she stated, motioning off towards the door with one hand.

He met her stare with a matching icy one of his own. "Uh-huh. So sorry for bothering you. Didn't realize you'd made plans already," he growled. Swinging the bag onto his back, he turned and headed for the door, sending passing scholars scurrying back to their desks.

Cleao could only stand in dumb shock and watch his retreating back. He had walked out on _her!_ The role reversal was decidedly unnerving and it took her a few minutes to pull herself back together. The surrounding sorcerers had all stopped their work to stare at her, whispering quietly to themselves. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she glared at the nearest one. "Oh what? Like you haven't seen this before?" She all but fled the building

* * *

"Man, it's not fair I'm telling you. It's not often you see a woman around this dump, and the cute ones are _always _taken." 

The blonde haired man leaned back in his chair and rest his feet on the desk surface. "Oh come now, Darrell. You really didn't expect her to fall for that little knightly bit, now did you? It's soooo _passé_," he drawled, waving a hand in the air.

Darrell slumped over in his chair and rested his chin on an upraised palm. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But damn, why can't this order get good looking chics every now and then? I'm fuggin' tired of chasing brainless barmaids. It's like sorcereress ability leaches out good looks. Is asking for one pretty sorcereress too much for a man to ask?"

The blonde laughed and slapped him on the back. "You keep wishing there, buddy. I for one am fine with your 'brainless barmaids'. More for me then." His laughter died down as an older man, dressed in volumous black robes, appeared at the foot of their desk.. As he sat himself down, Darrell cleared his throat. Loudly. "Uh,. hey there old man. We uh, we and my buddy Mitch here were in the middle of a conversation you know. There's plenty of unoccupied tables if you'd like me to point you in the direction of one."

A small grin split the wizened face. "Charming, truly. And here I was offering to help you in your …predicament." His voice was like wind blowing across dead leaves. Mitch felt compelled to remove his boots from the table surface and shuddered under the old man's stare. Something didn't seem quite right about the man, but Darrell seemed interested enough in what he had to say, so he kept his peace for the time being.

"You what now, geezer-dude?"

"Such respect you display for your betters. I offered to help you with your problem with the …ahem, aforementioned young woman. What if I perhaps persuaded her to reconsider your earlier advances?"

Small warning bells were now going off in Mitch's head, but he couldn't quite place what the problem was. Granted, it was a little hard to focus on the old guy, like he was a little hazy around the edges, but he was willing to attribute that to the extra ale at lunch.

Darrell sat up a little straighter and gave the man a reconsidering look. "Keep talking, that is, unless you're suggesting I'm incapable of finding a date on my own."

The stranger's laugh sent cold shivers down Mitch's spine. "Nothing of the sort, my young friend. Some women can just simply benefit from the guided experience of a more …mature mind."

Now things began to fall into place and Mitch jumped up from his seat, startling Darrell in the process. "Now look here, man. That's compulsion speak you're talking about now, and I am not going to sit here and get kicked out of the Tower because of you. Come on Darrell, we're leaving." Darrell gave him a bewildered look and tried to rise out of his chair, only to find that his limbs were frozen stiff. He turned wide eyes to Mitch, pleading for help.

A rolling darkness had begun to spread from the old man's seated form, who smiled crazily at them from across the table. The dark tendrils flowed down the table towards them, leaving an icy chill in their path. "Leaving so soon? Come now, we have grand plans to discuss." The wave of black enveloped Mitch and he remembered sitting calming back down in his chair, before the rest of his mind went blank.

* * *

Shops and homes passed by in a blur as Cleao aimlessly roamed the streets. By the look of the sun, she'd been wandering for quite some time and had an hour or so left of daylight. Ordinarily she'd go back to the inn to get Leki and have some company, but she didn't want to risk an encounter with Orphen before she figured out what to say. The man was angry with her, that much was plain. Hells, he'd never walked out on her like that before – well, maybe once before – but _never_ in a fit of rage like this. 

She'd just been having the hardest time reading him since their time back in the woods. _Hells again, he completely refuses to talk about anything that happened. _She absent-mindedly fingered the patch of white skin poking out of the collar of blouse. _This is the only proof I have that _something _happened….I wish I could remember what it was!! Something bad must have happened, because he's jumping between being unbearable rude and angry, and walking around me like I'm made of eggshells._

Cleao grit her teeth in frustration and began to stalk down the avenue more so than walk. _And now there's this from him. Jealousy's the only emotion I can come up with that seems to fit the bill, but what in gods' name does he have to be jealous over? Leki?! I frankly didn't even know he expressed emotions besides anger and apathy._

Stopping dead in her tracks Cleao bellowed out "Damn that man!" and immediately regretted it. Passerby turned to stare at her, and one worried mother hurried her child quickly down the street. Feeling a blush spread across her cheeks, Cleao quickly turned towards the building beside her. Her reflection looked back at her, interlaced between rows of golden necklaces and earrings. _Oh, a jewelry shop. _Shrugging, Cleao headed for the door. _Well, since when in the history of civilization has shopping failed to raise the spirits of confused women across the continent? Jewelry store, meet your match. _

It wasn't the largest selection she had ever seen, but it was of high quality, and Cleao found herself quickly bent over one of the display cases. White gold chains and rings were artfully arranged across dark blue velvet swatches. _White gold, I always did like it – the way it catches light and colors around it. Much prettier than that yellow stuff. Oh well, _she sighed outwardly_, Mother always said I was a yellow-gold-complexion-child. None for me today it seems._

She continued to scan the large case in front of her and stopped, imagining what clothes she had which would go with the various pendants, when an embarrassed looking man ducked into the store. Cleao watched from the corner of her eye as he kneaded a crumpled hat in his hands as he talked to the store owner. _Something's got him in a bind. He'll need a new hat at any rate. _

She continued to watch as the shopkeep removed a small box from a back shelf and pushed it across the counter. The young man's face beamed when he opened the box, showing off a beautifully cut sapphire set in a delicate platinum ring. Cleao blinked back unexpected tears and turned away from the man and his box. Probably an engagement ring from the look of it, she thought. _Lucky girl. _ Cleao had always thought growing up that by this time her age, she'd have finished her studies – _nope_ – met a devastating handsome, witty, rich, fun young man - _ a definite nope - _ and been long married with a place of her own and a household to run – _not even in the running anymore_. She wasn't sure exactly when she'd let go of her young adolescent dream, but it must have been for years past now. While she could readily admit that now she'd be bored out of her mind in that fairy tale setting, it still stung a little when she saw some things, like the stranger with his ring. Most of her friends from school were already married with at least one set of pattering feet to their name, and the rest were either engaged or part of some celibate religions order. _Even Mariabella's had plenty of suitors – she just can't make up her damned mind which one she likes best!_ _What in the nine hells is so unlikable about _me?!

Cleao was about to storm out of the store as well, even angrier than before, when her eyes caught sight of a small piece refracting the late afternoon sunlight in the next case over. Bending down to see it at eye level, she placed a palm lightly on the glass surface in front of her. The case held men's jewelry, mostly chains and pocket watches, but a few other pieces as well. Near the corner of the bottom display a ring sat reflecting the light, giving the silver a faint orange cast. The ring was cast as a serpentine dragon biting its own tail. The hard angles of the casting would go perfectly with Orphen's pendant, she thought, and moved a bit to get a look at the price tag.

Yeouch. For that price, it better go well with anything. Standing up, Cleao sighed, still looking at the ring. It might be perfect, but it was rather on the expensive side for a make-up gift. Shaking her head, she gave the shopkeep a parting smile before heading out back to the street. Better to figure out why he was angry first before trying to buy her way out. With her luck, she'd just make him angrier.

Traffic in the street had thinned out, with only the occasional rider passing through and the pedestrian traffic all single-mindedly heading home as well. Cleao could make out the last rays of the setting sun over a line of buildings and raised her eyebrows a notch. She'd been in the jewelry store longer than she thought. A small wonder the owner hadn't kicked her out for loitering. _Well, can't really stay away forever. Besides, maybe an afternoon of physical labor's cooled his head a bit. Damn, I'm hungry_. Cleao readjusted the frame across her nose and headed off in the direction of the inn. _Ha, still wearing the glasses – totally forgot about those. Eh, might as well keep them on. He took the case with him after all. _

It was already dark by the time Cleao started recognizing the passing buildings, and she hurried her step even more. _I must have wandered across the entire length of the city. Man, Orphen is gonna be pissed it's so late and I'm not back yet. _She quickly turned a corner and was brought up short when her nose almost collided with a robed chest. Jumping back, she let out a held breath that had caught in her throat.

The two men from the library scene earlier now stood in front of her, jovially smiling down at her. Spunky, she recalled, offered her his hand. "Fancy running into you again out here. Luck must be turning up." He glanced over her shoulder and frowned slightly. "What, no sorcerer? Where's your friend run off to, missy?"

Cleao straightened her blouse and ignored his proffered hand. "He's busy. Sorry, boys, but I don't have time to chat. I'm running late as it is." Blondey now cut in and moved to her side. "Not to intrude, but it is dark out now and the town watch has been undermanned lately due to the cleanup. Perhaps you'd like an escort to your destination?" He offered her his arm.

She paused and thought for a moment. _Well, if what they say is true about the city watchmen, it probably wouldn't' be a bad idea to have some guys around incase there's any trouble. Orphen didn't even let me take my boot knife this morning. Hell, couldn't hurt. They seem nice enough, if a little dull around the edges. _

She gave Blondey a lady-like nod and took his arm, setting out again for the inn . Spunky fell in step to her other side and slightly behind, and they let her pick the route. At least she didn't have to worry about getting mugged on her way back now. Not that she had any hard cash to give the mugger in the first place.

Cleao judged from the amount of time they had been walking that she must be fairly close to the inn now, and decided it was probably for the best if Orphen didn't by chance see her with the other men…provided that of course he was jealous. This certainly wouldn't help matters. She stopped and looked up at Blondey.

"Well, thanks for the escort, boyos. I'm pretty sure I can make it back the rest of the way myself, so you two can run off now. See you around." Cleao tried to take a step forward, but Blondey caught her, roughly, by the upper arms. "What do you think you're –" Cleao began to hotly ask, when a flash of light in front of her face shut her mouth. Spunky held the silver dagger an inch from her eye, and she tried to pull away, only to be stopped by Blondey's mass behind her.

"Well, that's no way to say goodbye, girly," Spunky began. "How can you think of going when we haven't received payment yet for services rendered?" Blondey wrapped one arm around her entire torso and slapped the other across her mouth, stifling any attempt of hers to scream. Glancing once over his shoulder, he pulled her into a nearby alley kicking and biting.

* * *

Orphen flung the baginto the corner of bedroom and lit the room candles with a flick of his wrist. Gods, he was tired, and wanted nothing more than to take a long bath, eat and get some sleep, in that order. Leki bounded up to him from on top of Cleao's bed, and ran circles around him. Stopping, he sniffed Orphen's boot and looked up at him, confused, one ear wilted. 

"What, what's wrong with you?" Orphen closed the door and nearly tripped on the Wolfen cub, who refused to move away from his shoe.

"Dammit, Leki! What do you want?!" The pup had now begun to run madly around the room, yipping frantically. Orphen watched him, confused, until the cub came and sat down in front of him, howling at the ceiling. Looking around the room for what could possibly be distressing the young Wolfen, Orphen for the first time consciously registered that Cleao wasn't there. In fact, looked like she'd hadn't been there all day. The girl was not the neatest person around, and given an hour or two in any room, her presence would be noticed for days.

Orphen kneeled down and scratched Leki's head. "She never came back today….did she?" he asked, softly. Leki looked up at him with round green eyes and mewed pathetically.

Cursing vehemently, he jumped to his feet and wrenched the door open, holding it for Leki to follow after him. He'd parted company with her _hours_ ago, and with Cleao's penchant for unluckiness, trouble had probably found her quickly. Orphen cursed himself again for having left her by herself at the Tower. _What the hell was I thinking? She's completely incapable of defending herself, and here I just left her to wander the streets of a city, at dusk, alone. Gods, I'm an idiot._

Orphen bounded out into the street, with Leki quick on his heels. He stood poised in the middle of the dark road, uncertain where to go. Should he start immediately at the Tower and try to trace her from there? Or would it be better to try and anticipate where she might have gone to. While he mulled this over, Leki sniffed the air around him. Orphen physically jumped when Leki leapt off down the street, howling madly. Shaking himself, he took after the cub at a dead run. _Thank the Heavenly Ones, …again… for Leki. Gods, I hope I'm not too late. _

* * *

Yep, this one's a lot longer – figured partly I'd make up for it since I sucked up the December update. Also, it's nice to finally be into the beginning of the main plot and done with the exposition. FINALLY. This calls for a beer. 

As usual, thankees to all of you who've R&R'd. Even though I know the little hit stat thing says people look at this, you're the guys who actually make me believe someone's taking the time to read. Kudos to you!


End file.
